Tech Issues Cause Most Drone Accidents

[HardOCP News]

Did you know that tech issues cause most drone crashes? I didn't. I would have bet you money that pilot error would have been the biggest cause of drone crashes (with surface to air missiles and farmer's shotguns tying for second).

World-first research has found technical problems rather than operator errors are behind the majority of drone accidents, leading to a call for further safeguards for the industry. Researchers Dr Graham Wild and Dr Glenn Baxter from RMIT University's School of Engineering, along with John Murray from Edith Cowan University, completed the first examination of more than 150 reported civil incidents around the world involving drones, or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS).

 

[Elios]

caused by USER ERROR.... ugg

 

[Dregan73]

i can attest to this, my first gps enabled drone i bought malfunction and flew away on its own the first day i had it, never did find it, the replacement drone i have never had a issue with. it was some firmware issue that was later corrected

 

[schoenda]

My n of 1 calls bullshit. My first 3-4 crashes were pilot error. Disorientation, misjudging altitude or depth at distance, or just screwing around. Not one single crash since. Yet.

 

[Spidey329]

i can attest to this, my first gps enabled drone i bought malfunction and flew away on its own the first day i had it, never did find it, the replacement drone i have never had a issue with. it was some firmware issue that was later corrected

DJI Phantom? Happened to my buddy as well. I kinda wonder if happens because the autopilot crashes (system crash) while the drone is at a tilt, so the drone just carries on. Newer autopilots have a level of redundancy built in to prevent against such system crashes.

They're known for that. At least 3DR has/had a policy that if it does a fly-away, they'll replace it as long as they get the logs (they're stored in the controller, iirc) to improve the product / fix the issue.

 

[Prisoner849]

Honest question: when did the word 'drone' replace 'RC <insert vehicle type>'? When I was a kid, my sizeable RC Chopper would get crap lashed to it all the time; usually GI Joe (who was once beheaded in a very cool manner) and not a camera, but looking back, it was pretty drone-like. I guess 'drone' refers to a particular maneuverability and having 4 rotors?

Anyhow, yep, most of my RC accidents were my fault - or GI Joe's.

 

[schoenda]

I think "drone" sounds better on the news. I would say though that autonomous ability is the clincher...fly waypoints and return to home without pilot input, land, take off, follow a target etc. using software. This is what makes my inspire 1v2 a drone. I think.

 

[MrE]

Honest question: when did the word 'drone' replace 'RC <insert vehicle type>'?

It always takes me a second when I hear "drone" on the news. I've been calling them RC Quadcopters for quite some time, but the news likes the term so it stuck. Guess that's better than UAV (unmanned ariel vehicle), but drone conjures up images of a much larger craft of the military variety.